By now you will know that Facebook has responded to the Australian government’s proposed news media bargaining code by removing the ability for any Australian or international news content to be published or shared in Australia.
Mark Zuckerburg’s social network has been a vital platform to community and subculture groups for news sharing and discussion.
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But online community groups, local, rural and regional news outlets, university-led news projects and niche news publications have all been caught up by the Facebook news ban which has extended beyond your major news outlets, and will catch news stories, pages and publications of any kind or scale.
James Findlay
(@james_findlay)
EMPTY! pic.twitter.com/0TfGFv5IhR
February 17, 2021
Now, social, environment, arts and culture community Facebook groups, among many other social subcultures, are discussing where to take their forums.
“At this stage we are waiting and seeing what we can share – it is too early to tell how difficult this may be as we often share SMH, ABC and Guardian stories on our page,” Mary Richard from the Saving Sydney’s Trees Facebook group told the Guardian.
In 2019, when Tumblr tightened their censorship rules, we saw an exodus of small communities and subculture groups from the site, looking to alternate platforms to host forums where the discussion and sharing of media content remains possible.
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So where can Australians go after Facebook?
The workaround
While changing your device’s IP address to an overseas location will not restore news content on your Facebook feeds, it’s OK. You do have other options.
There are a wealth of platforms users can transition to, to both consume news in a user-friendly online feed, and share and discuss news related to specific topics.
For newsfeed needs:
Though not a discussion forum, Flipboard is a site that curates a feed of news stories to you. Upon first download, the app will ask, “What’s your passion?”. According to your interests, and with a priority of including diverse sources and voices, Flipboard then presents to you a daily collection of stories. Available on mobile and desktop.
Guardian Australia contacted community groups who said they are trying to push out more content via Twitter. While Twitter does not have the same “group” function as Facebook, Twitter Lists offers a more curated experience. You can create Lists of your own and follow the Lists others have created. Available on mobile and desktop.
For community engagement:
Nuzzel
Also a platform that curates news feeds, Nuzzel connects to your social accounts (like Twitter and Linked In), to analyse and then present to you what your friends are reading and discussing across the web. You can extend the social circle that curates your feed to read “The Best of Nuzzel”, or what “Friends of Friends” are reading. You can also curate your own newsfeeds to share within and outside of the app. Available on mobile and desktop.
Nextdoor
A location-based social networking app, Nextdoor allows you to curate an online “neighbourhood” of users who live within your physical community. It offers a forum for people within a community to share updates and advice with each other, prioritising easy access to current local news. Available on mobile.
For both:
A widely popular desktop network, Reddit acts as a bulletin board of discussion on a range of specific interest topics. Unlike other social media networks, users don’t often share family photos of travels or social parties. Instead, it is a hub for communities to engage in easy back-and-forth discussion. Available on mobile and desktop.
MeWe
The draw of MeWe lies in its transparency and lack of data-tracking, which has been a cause of great controversy for Facebook in the past. The social network vouches to prioritise user privacy, and offers a Facebook alternative that has no ads, or tracking algorithms (and can also host news content in its feeds and discussion groups). Available on mobile.
Tumblr
Despite the censorship of NSFW (not safe for work) content, any other niche subculture will be able to find a home within a community on Tumblr. Unlike other social media networks, Tumblr allows you to host blogs around topics of interest, and connect with other users with similar blog content. Available on mobile and desktop.
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